Library
Antonio McAfee ‘22 and David Martine ‘22 explore the contents of our library. Photo by Séan Alonzo Harris ‘22.
Surf Point's library is a combination of Mary-Leigh Smart and Beverly Hallam's libraries, compiled over their combined lifetimes of 190 years. The library is divided into three parts:
monographs and group exhibitions of Euro-centric and American 20th-century artists
catalogs about Maine-based exhibitions and artists, Maine history, and non-Euro-centric art
poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, and the complete works of May Sarton, who lived on the Surf Point Foundation property for 22 years.
Reflecting Mary-Leigh and Beverly's close friendship and lifelong conversations about art, many of the books contain newspaper clippings about the subject of the books themselves, with handwritten notes. These treasures often fall out of the books as one opens them, engaging residents with a snapshot of conversation between Surf Point's founders, and connecting residents with Surf Point's unique history.
A contribution of $50 supports the purchase of one book on the recommendation list below.
Unpurchased Recommendations
Donations of unpurchased recommendations are greatly appreciated. If you would like to support Surf Point Foundation by donating one of the books below, please contact yael@surfpoint.me, or make a donation of $50 per book using the donate button below, noting the title of the book(s) purchases you would like to sponsor. If you do not have a specific book you would like to sponsor, we will make the selection.
Als, Hilton. White Girls.
recommended by Julia Jaquette '23.
Boakye, Lynette, Larne Gogarty, Rashid Johnson, and Rafael Squirru. Sam Gilliam: The Music of Color: 1967–1973.
recommended by Danielle Mysliwiec '21.
Darkeem, Dennis RedMoon. Good Trade.
recommended by Dennis Darkeem '20.
Emin, Tracey, and Carl Freedman. Tracey Emin: Works 1963-2006.
recommended by Yevgeniya Baras '20.
Halberstam, Jack. The Queer Art of Failure.
recommended by Nicki Cherry '23.
Ishiguro, Kazuo. Clara and the Sun.
recommended by Jake Price '23.
Jodidio, Philip. Zaha Hadid. Complete Works 1979 - Today.
recommended by Christophe Roberts '22.
Morante, Elsa. Arturo’s Island.
recommended by Enrique Mendía '23.
Morris, Frances and Tiffany Bell. Agnes Martin.
recommended by Meg Hahn '23.
Packer, Duane and Sanaya Roman. Creating Money: Keys to Abundance.
recommended by Ja’Hari Ortega ‘23.
Park Harrison, Robert and Shana. The Architect’s Brother.
recommended by Julee Holcombe '23.
Schwabsky, Barry. Landscape Painting Now.
recommended by Tessa O'Brien '22.
Stilgoe, John. Outside Lies Magic: Regaining History and Awareness in Everyday Places.
recommended by Aurora Tang ‘23.
Temkin, Ann. Alice Neel.
recommended by Kathleen Kolb '19.
Thompson, Jane. Design Research: The Store That Brought Modern Living to American Homes.
recommended by Karen Gelardi ‘23.
Acquired Recommendations
Abrams, Matthew Jeffrey. Stanley Whitney.
recommended by Isaac Jaegerman '21.
Ali, Grace. Liminal Spaces: Migration and Women of the Guyanese Diaspora.
recommended by Cosmo Whyte '22.
Als, Hilton. Christopher Knowles: In a Word.
recommended by Matt Bodett '22.
Andersson, Mamma. Mamma Andersson: The Lost Paradise.
recommended by Andrea Sulzer '21.
Beckwith, Naomi and Valerie Cassel Oliver. Howardena Pindell, What Remains to Be Seen.
recommended by Crystalle Lacouture '21.
Blocker, Jane. Where is Ana Mendieta?.
recommended by Teresa Silva ‘22. Donated by Myron Beasley.
Boal, Augusto. The Theatre of the Oppressed.
recommended by Glendalys Medina '21.
Bois, Yvette-Allain. Painting As Model.
recommended by Don Voisine '22.
Bourland, W. Ian. Bloodflowers: Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Photography, and the 1980s (The Visual Arts of Africa and its Diasporas).
recommended by William Armstrong '21.
Brosterman, Norman. Inventing Kindergarden.
recommended by Anna Hepler '19.
Brown, Adrienne Maree. Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds.
recommended by Kate Fowle '22.
Brown, Adriene Marie. Holding Change.
recommended by Marcia Minter '21; donated by Benjamin-Émile Le Hay.
Bryan-Wilson, Julia, Adrian Heathfield, and Stephanie Rosenthal. Ana Mendieta: Traces.
recommended by Mary Mattingly '21. Donated by Myron Beasley.
Byers, Dan. Anna Oppermann: Drawings.
recommended by Sascha Braunig '21.
Campt, Tina M. Listening to Images.
recommended by Carrie Cushman '19; donated by Sonya Clark.
Catlett, Elizabeth. Sculpture: a fifty-year retrospective.
recommended by Stephanie Dinkins '21; donated by Andrew Schirrmeister and Robin Young.
Cixin, Liu. The Three Body-Problem.
recommended and donated by Jamie Roux ‘22.
Cooke, Lynne. Outliers and American Vanguard Art.
recommended by Kathleen Henderson '21.
Cooper, Martha and Henry Chalfant. Subway Art.
recommended by Ryan Adams '22.
Cullen, Deborah and Elvis Fuentes. Caribbean: Art at the Crossroads of the World.
recommended by Suzy Delvalle '20.
De Burgos, Julia. Song of the Simple Truth: The Complete Poems of Julia de Burgos.
recommended by Glendalys Medina '21.
Dean, Tacita. Tacita Dean: Selected Writing and Complete Works & Filmography.
recommended by Erin Colleen Johnson '21.
Doherty, Maggie. The Equivalents: A Story of Art, Female Friendship, and Liberation in the 1960s
recommended by iliana emilia García '22. Donated by Charles Rockwood.
Drew, Kimberly, and Jenna Wortham. Black Futures.
recommended by Marcia Minter '21; donated by Edmund Glass.
De Leon, Paco. Finance for the People: Getting a Grip on Your Finances.
recommended by Ngoc-Tran Vu '22.
Fuss, Adam. Adam Fuss: Water.
recommended by Cole Caswell '22.
Gabriel, Mary. Ninth Street Women.
recommended by iliana emilia García '22 and Olga Herrera '22; donated by Lisa Fishman and Caroline Sulzer.
Gipson, Ferren. Women’s Work.
recommended by Legacy Russell '22.
Gladman, Renee. Plans for Sentences.
recommended by B. Ingrid Olson '21.
González, Jennifer. Pepón Osorio.
recommended by Leenda Bonilla '22.
Griffey, Randall, Kelly Baum, Meredith A. Brown, Susanna V. Temkin, Julia Bryan-Wilson. Alice Neel: People Come First
recommended by Barbara Sullivan '22.
Han, Byung-Chul. The Scent of Time: A Philosophical Essay on the Art of Lingering.
recommended by Jen Liu '21.
Hartney, Eleanor. After the Revolution: Women Who Transformed Contemporary Art.
recommended by Shiao-Ping Wang '19.
Hirsch, Faye. Lois Dodd (Contemporary Painters Series).
recommended by Julia Rommel '20; donated by Alice Gauvin and Christine Vincent.
hooks, bell. Teaching to Transgress.
recommended by Lisi Raskin '21; donated by John Berry.
Jones, Kellie and Roxane Gay. Mickalene Thomas.
recommended by Dalia Amara '22.
Julavits, Heidi. The Folded Clock.
recommended by Carly Glovinski '21.
Kendi, Ibram X. Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America.
recommended by Antonio McAfee '22. Donated by Andy Bachman.
Kitto, Svetlana. Sara Penn’s Knobkerry: An Oral History Sourcebook.
recommended by Mariah Garnett '21; donated by Mary Louise Schumacher.
Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Leah. Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice.
recommended by Shannon Finnegan '20.
Leith, Caoimhin MacGiolla. Ellen Gallagher.
recommended by Jessica Straus '22.
Lerner, Ben. The Hatred of Poetry.
recommended by Ivan Rios-Fetchko '22.
Levine, Philip. Breath: Poems by Philip Levine.
recommended by Bryan Graf '19; donated by Andy Bachman.
Matsui, Midori, Kathy Halbreich, and Douglas Fogle. Painting at the Edge of the World.
recommended by Daniela Rivera '21; donated Trina Bellavance.
Molesworth, Helen. Leap Before You Look: Black Mountain College 1933-1957.
recommended by Naoko Wowsugi '22.
Morris, Frances. Louise Bourgeois.
recommended by Yevgenia Baras ‘20 and Karen Adrienne '21; donated by Edmund Glass.
Okorafor, Nnedi. Who fears death?.
recommended by bree gant '22.
Oppen, George. Collected Poems.
recommended by Jibade-Khalil Huffman '19.
Ottmann, Klaus. Rackstraw Downes, Onsite Paintings 1972-2008.
recommended by Kathleen Kolb '19; donated by Christine Vincent.
Prescod-Weinstein, Chanda. The Disordered Cosmos.
recommended by Marcia Minter '21; donated by Sonya Clark.
Sellers, Libby. Women Design.
recommended by Bryan Graf '19.
Shechet, Arlene. Arlene Shechet: All at Once.
recommended by Sachiko Akiyama '22.
Sheldon, Chana. Africobra: Messages to the People.
recommended by Chanel Thervil '22.
Sillman, Amy, Charlotte Houette, Francois Lancien-Guilberteau, Lynne Tillman, and Benjamin Thorel. Amy Sillman: 'Faux Pas'.
recommended by Meghan Brady '20.
Solomon-Godeau, Abigail, Linda Montano, Nancy Princenthal, Mary Sabbatino. Ana Mendieta: Blood & Fire.
recommended by Teresa Silva ‘22; donated by Myron Beasley.
Sontag, Susan. A Susan Sontag Reader.
recommended by Joe Mama-Nitzberg '22.
Stritzler-Levine, Nina. Sheila Hicks: Weaving as a Metaphor.
recommended by Bryana Bibbs '22.
Truitt, Anne. Daybook: The Journal of an Artist.
recommended by Shiao-Ping Wang '19.
Tuite, Diana. Bob Thompson: This House is Mine.
recommended by Greg Jamie '22; donated by Diana Tuite.
Venn, Beth and Adam Weinberg. Unknown Terrain: The Landscapes of Andrew Wyeth.
recommended by Kathleen Kolb '19.
Wahler, Marc-Olivier, Carla Acevedo-Yates, Steven L. Bridges. Michigan Stories: Mike Kelley and Jim Shaw.
recommended by Jesse Littlefield '21.
Whitten, Jack. Notes from the Woodshed.
recommended by Tyrone Mitchell '22; donated by John Berry.
Wulf, Andrea. The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World.
recommended by Daniela Rivera '21; donated by Jeanne Paterak.
Resident Recommendations
Upon assessing the contents of our 20th-century library and thinking about how it could engage with today's discourse and practitioners, Surf Point invites each resident to suggest one book to be purchased for the library that reflects their interests and inspiration. Therefore, the library will continue to grow with timely volumes that build upon our founders' vision and with new residents as they spend time at Surf Point. Each new book is dedicated to the resident who nominated the book.
See books recommended by our alumni below.
SPF is able to purchase many of these books due to a generous $5k grant from the Reinharz Family Foundation.